Haunted dreams
by A.K.J.19
Summary: Haunted by visions of death Tatsumi has been hounded all his life by the carnage that he dreams of when he sleeps. One day while on a hunting trip he dreams of the death of his best friends Sayo and Ieyasu's deaths after the two of them had left to journey to the capital. Will Tatsumi ever be able to change fate, or will he fall into despair like the like the shade that haunts him?


**So hey sorry for the entire silence thing, my chapter for Fate Incarnate X4 is coming up just that I am struggling with it a bit, so to those who are waiting on it I am working on it.**

 **Any ways I think I binged far too much of Angel's of Calibian, Wolfsbane and Ruinstorm and that gave me this idea. It should be obvious whose haunting Tatsumi but if you can't tell just guess.**

 **Anyway this was an idea I just had not sure if I am going to ever update it or just leave it as a one-off. Still it was a refreshing change from all of my drafts of Fate Incarnate X4.**

 **Either way I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It was the same, there was never any variation, those same blood red eyes gazed at him. Blood red eyes, filled with grief, pity, hesitation and so many more emotions that could not be properly put into words. Eyes were the windows to the soul after all. Turning her face away from him the red eyed angel gritted her teeth in frustration, anger and grief. "Yes" she finally stated confirming her resolve "I did say that I would kill you." The Wind and the snow blew around her making the long black hair of hers swish about. "Very well I shall kill you" the angel says in a voice that is unable to hide her regret and sorrow. Refusing to meet his eye she draws her one edged sword walking up to him and stabbing him through the chest. Her eyes show no traces of tears yet it is easy to see that they are being reigned in. She does not stop walking as he collapses not once looking back.

* * *

Tatsumi woke up gasping for air, the scent of blood assailed his nostrils, creaking open his sleep deprived eyes the brown haired youth found himself amidst what was once a pack of Jackaleos. Grunting as he rose to his feet Tatsumi stretched to ease out the soreness from sleeping out in the cold. "I don't care about my own death, I need to see more about Sayo and Ieyasu's" he muttered walking over to a nearby stream and splashing water on his face to drive away any of the last of the weariness he felt. As the ripples in the stream died don the reflection that greeted him was not his own.

Looking away not wishing to meet the fathomless eyes that stare back Tatsumi began to make his way back to where he recalled he had camped for the night. Whenever he saw his own death it seemed that the fits he experienced grew more violent, this time in his vision induced haze Tatsumi reasoned that he must have sought out the Jackaleo's since there was no one to restrain him here. " _Better_ _that it is just danger beasts_ " Tatsumi reflected, the alternative was not something the sleep deprived youth liked to dwell on., sleep for him may never be restful but never sleeping was worse.

Finding his bag and his sword Tatsumi strapped both of them to his back, it never failed to irritate him how he always by some miracle managed to leave them behind whenever he went walkabout. The caravan he saved from the Earth dragon had parted ways with him yesterday being caught up in customs and other ways which made them lose money and cargo. Well that was the way the city folk did things, it was how they made their money, how they got rich and kept others from becoming rich themselves. In short they were nothing but a bunch of glorified thieves and swindlers.

Scrunching his noise up in derision as if the knowledge had a foul stench to it, that brought Tatsumi's thoughts back to the capital, a cesspool of filth which suffocated just about everything that came into it. Secretly he hoped the Capital would stink of the filth it was home to, but Tatsumi was of the opinion that it probably wouldn't. That brought Tatsumi back to the real issue, the entire reason why he was bothering to make the hazardous journey to the cesspool of corruption in the first place, Sayo and Ieyasu.

The only two people Tatsumi had have considered any remote kind of bond with had left despite his warnings to see if they could make money in the capital to save their village. They were smart enough to leave while he had been out on a monthly hunting trip giving themselves a head start on their haunted friend. Tasumi only could hope that the vision he saw was false.

Sayo lying naked suspended in mid air by her arms, her body brutalised and ravaged, he could still remember in both vivid and intricate detail the wounds inflicted on her, and the disease that was eating into her body. Her left leg was missing amputated off and crudely cauterised in a painful way.

At least he could take some small comfort in the fact that Ieyasu was in his arms as he saw his friend pass away, like Sayo his body as ravaged and torn apart, his wounds also infected with disease. The image invoked revulsion and something much darker in Tatsumi's mind as a silent fury was lit.

Tatsumi gritted his teeth and began to increase his pace, he had to reach the capital by this night, the moon that he say in his dreams would only become new tonight which meant that he still had time if he pushed himself. " _But what if you are too late?_ " A rather sinister and familiar voice asked.

Snarling Tatsumi tried to force the thoughts that came with the unbidden question out of his mind, but to no avail. " _If I am too late_ " Tatsumi began internally " _If they are already dead, then the one's who killed them will suffer_ " he finished, his thoughts turning to more sinister and creative places.

" _You're already too late_ " it taunted "t _hey had almost a month head start on you, by now they will have been tortured and kill. You are too late, like you always were._ " The treacherous words made Tatsumi spit in disgust, these treacherous thoughts of his were the last thing he needed right now.

"Shut up" Tatsumi hissed willing his treacherous thoughts below the surface "I will find them" he snarled an almost manic look in his tired eyes. "Then we can go back and forget that the capital ever existed" Tatsumi said not adding that he would have preferred to set it alight just before they left.

* * *

The walls around the capital loomed over him, to Tatsumi they looked less like the walls made to keep something out and more like the walls a prison. Something to contain the vast and hungry populace that dwelt in this cesspool. Sayo and Ieyasu would not have been accepted when they applied to join the army. No they would have been kicked out and then cheated of their money not long after and left on the streets. Going along this train of thought Tatsumi reasoned that they would have been picked up by what appeared to be a kind soul, only to be turned on for some depraved reason.

The most difficult part would be to find anyone who had seen either of them because this might be quite common in the capital. That said it might be easier to ask around who to look out for, especially of those _kind hearted_ people that would probably pop up every now and again from nowhere.

Having no real contacts made this far more difficult meaning that he would have to rely on more unreliable sources mainly those coming from loose lipped patrons at bars and taverns. That was assuming that there was such thing as a loose lipped patron in this city, but alcohol did work wonders. There were also his vision but Tatsumi remained sceptical that they could be of any use, in his experience they were random and depending on their strength would send him into violent fits.

Also there was the issue that since he had pushed himself to get here quickly his entire body felt sore. Finding a bench Tastsumi flopped down on it having his head facing up into the sky. "Because of the recession the military is flooding with applicants" he murmured "the chances of them kicking those two out would be pretty high." Tatsumi fought the tendrils of sleep they tried to claw their way up.

Golden orbs looked back down at him "hey there kid" a lady will short blond hair asked. She had a scarf around her neck and wore an outfit that left little to the imagination. Her smile was friendly as was the look in her eyes. However Tatsumi saw that she definitely was more interested in something else. "Should this Onee-san lend you a hand?" The way she phrased the question made her seem friendly and endearing, but to someone like Tatsumi it was all just cleverly crafted ploys to make him let his guard down. Still there was something about this woman that was dangerous.

It was not obvious, but the even relaxed as she was there was something that called out to Tatsumi that she was a killer, not a one of those deranged ones, but professional, or as close as she could get. It was in these scant moments that Tatsumi was appraising her that he saw another vision.

The woman stood on a cold street probably somewhere in this very city, her hair was longer and she sported a tail along with some animal ears that came out of her hair. For some reason she was smiling as she lay curled up bleeding out on the cold road, still her smile perplexed Tatsumi.

* * *

Leone did not know what to make of the kid lying on the bench in front of her, at first she thought he must have been one of those poor kids from the country coming to enlist and being denied. However once she had come face to face with the kid he seemed to something else entirely. First things first it looked like he could use several days if not weeks worth of sleep, those black rings under his eyes were in no part eye shadow which meant he had an unhealthy habit of staying awake late into the night. Not that she was one to talk, but Leone was perfectly healthy despite her lifestyle.

Next was the tired and haunted look those green eyes that should have been full of innocence had, it was like she was looking into the eyes of a person who had given up living or who had never truly lived before. Also there was the fact that in the brief moment she had first spoken she saw the kid stare back and appraise her. Normally Leone would have liked to crack a joke about him liking what he saw she suspected that this kid was not the usual kind of prey she could sucker into paying for her binge drinking. No this kid was here for a singular purpose, but she figure out what it was.

"I'd rather not drag you into my own problems" the kid replied as he proceeded to sit upright "thanks for the offer but I'd rather not trouble you or anyone else." After saying that he strapped his pack onto his back and began to walk away. To her the boy sounded very tired and not just physically.

"What an interesting kid" Leone mused "it'd be a shame if he died" she noted before heading back to where the enlistment building for the military was. There were always people whose applications were denied whom she could swindle into buying her drinks, even if she felt a bit sorry for them.

* * *

After making sure that strange woman had not followed him Tatsumi found that he had made his way to the centre of some sort of market. Truthfully he did not expect his visions to give him anything more today, prior experience showed that it usually ended badly, however he was desperate. Part of Tatsumi hoped that the place where he saw Sayo and Ieyasu in his visions was not the imperial dungeon.

Not because he was afraid of going in there to seek retribution, no it was because some part of his very being, a part that Tatsumi didn't fully comprehend yearned for that to be the case. Some twisted vile part of his mind relished in the possibility of punishing the wicked and it desired fore Tatsumi to have a personal grudge against the entire nation itself, if not the world. It was something that he had not shared with even with Sayo and Ieyasu, a part of himself that he reviled.

Looking to the side Tatsumi found himself looking at a mirror that was on sale. Like always the reflection he was was not his own, a wicked smile graced that face when it say Tatsumi looking at it. Slowly it lifted up a long elongated talon and pointed in the direction behind him. At first Tatsumi did not wish to look however, he knew that if he didn't it would only lead to more problems later on. Slowly and casually Tatsumi turned his head so that his eyes rested on a short blonde haired girl. Once again he saw death, only this time he was the one delivering it to her as she ranted and smiled. But what was more important to Tatsumi was who else he saw in the background. There behind them was Sayo as he had seen her before and off to the side in a cage was Ieyasu. They had both been tortured with Sayo already being dead and just left to hang there while Ieyasu still lived.

That silent and ever present fury rose to the surface, it was not hot, no it was deathly cold, a chill the ran down the spine and left one numb and devoid of any feeling. Tatsumi's gazed flickered over the crowd to where the girl was with her bodyguards, there were three in total. A small voice whispered for him to kill them now, to make them suffer and relish in the screams that come from their painful demise.

Another voice told him doing so would only achieve getting him a criminal reputation, possible imprisonment and probable execution. That meant he would have to wait for the girl and her escort to reach a far more isolated part of the city, whether sneaking into their home at night and brutalising them was another question entirely. His vision showed him in her grounds killing her, so perhaps there was a way, or perhaps they weren't that well guarded in the first place.

Trailing them yet making sure it didn't appear a he was Tatsumi followed them until he came to a rather luxurious looking mansion. They only seemed to have four guards since there was one waiting at the gate for them who complained that they should have more. Tatsumi was grateful for this.

* * *

The trees provided ample cover before nightfall, given the fact that it was almost a new moon there was very little light about and the guards were forced to carry torches to see in the dark. From their attire it seem the only forms of protection they had was their helmets and sheet across their chest. Such poor forms of protection meant that either the family they work for has other priorities or that they were extremely skilled. Tatsumi hoped it was the former, and if it were the latter he was to soon find out. However before he had the opportunity to strike from his perch he saw something.

It was a woman, whom may have been the mother of that girl from before, she was smiling to herself as she was walking out of the mansion. Silently Tatsumi moved to follow her, unlike the guards she only carried a candle so it was easier to get closer to her as she moved to what seemed to be a storage house. At such a close distance what she was saying could be heard, she was happily mumbling that she can't help herself when it came to this. As she came to the storehouse she took out a key from her gown, when she opened the doors Tatsumi was greeted by the smell of rotting flesh.

Unlike others the darkness, the absence of light never existed for him, so before the woman had even turned the lights in the torture chamber on he had seen his worst fears confirmed. Hanging limply devoid of all life was Sayo, her leg was cut off, her body ravaged and torn just in like his vision.

" _Just as I said, you're too late boy_ " the voice taunted " _you're far too late._ " Tatsumi wasn't really listening to the voice and it's mockery his eyes were firmly fixed on the exposed back of the woman in front of him. Taking his sword he plunged it into her back. The blow was designed to not allow her to get even just one scream off before she she began to drown in her own blood. It was a mercy compared to the atrocities that Tatsumi wished to inflict upon her flesh. But at the moment he was pressed for time here and they still had guards who may still be a threat he had yet to deal with.

Scanning across the chamber Tatsumi's eyes fell on a figure barely able to stand "Ieyasu" he breathed, his voice laced with concern but otherwise devoid of almost every other emotion out there. Quickly he rushed up to where his friend was standing caged in "which one of them did this to you?"

"They took us in and fed us something, when we came to we where in here" Ieyasa managed "the mother, the woman you just killed did this to me" Ieyasa broke off coughing, whatever had been done to him was not pretty "that girl, that girl Aria, she" Ieyasu began "she tortured Sayo to death."

At hearing this something snapped inside of Tatsumi, his reasoning, his values all of that was pushed to the side right now in favour of justice or was the correct word vengeance? It could be call whatever the technicality of it the words did not matter to Tatsumi at this moment in time. What did matter right now was that someone had killed a person whom he held dear, all that mattered right now was that he maid them pay, pay in blood seven fold. Tendrils of madness, of a past life that haunted him even now snaked their way up into his mind tainting it for now with the dark whispers.

* * *

Despite the pain coursing through his body, despite the agony in his veins and the hopelessness of knowing that he was going to die in this shit hole no matter what happened. Despite all of this Ieyasu found himself terrified of the way his friend Tatsumi was in front of him. Back in their village Tatsumi had been somewhat of an outcast, not really getting along with anyone, he rarely slept and seemed to always be plagued by nightmares. One thing that Ieyasu had never seen Tatsumi was, was angry, it was easy to tell if he were irritated or vexed, but he never showed his anger so openly.

It seemed that learning what had happened to the two of them had caused Tatsumi to snap. Deep down Ieyasu knew that Tatsumi was a kind soul tormented by something or the other, however looking at his friend it seemed as if right now that there was a danger beast wearing Tatsumi's skin.

The sound of hurried footsteps was heard as one of the guards came rushing to the still open doorway, with the barest of glances Tatsumi through his swords as if it were javelin into his unprotected neck. Ieyasu could only watch in a mix of awe and horror as his friend wasted no time, before the sword had even reached it's mark he had started sprinting to the guard. Retrieving his sword Tatsumi also picked up the rifle and fired, most likely at the other guards who were coming to reinforce their fallen comrade. After a bit Tatsumi stopped firing and turned his dead green eyes on Ieyasu.

"I'll come back for you, Ieyasu" Tatsumi said in the tone of a dead man "I'll come back and we can find a doctor who will treat your wounds." Ieyasu wanted to say something, to say that it was too late for him already, to tell Tatsumi to make them pay, however he was frozen to the spot unable to.

* * *

Luck, that was one way to describe how he was able to get this far. But Tatsumi did not believe in such things, it was less of luck and more that the guards here were lax in their duties. First off he should not have been able to remain undetected in the scant few hours before nightfall. Secondly they should have all possessed some form of ranged attack. Obviously the one with the rifle had been the lowest ranking out of the four which was why he was sent, obviously the more experience or better warriors should have been the one to have gone check up at least he might have survived.

Also instead of assuming that their fellow had only shut the door, the three should have realised an enemy attack when they saw it, the first one he shot looked like the leader the way he was taking command. Two shots through the neck for each of them, then another shot after they had fallen through the head just to make sure they were dead and then a last one to deface them just for spite. It was not his rifle nor his ammunition so what did he care? This was a one off, a single occurrence, he did not intend to make a habit of this, the sensation, the righteousness was very intoxicating.

Prey, that was another word that came to mind, this time it seemed fitting for the residents of the house, they would either be scurrying to one of the exits or holding up in a room of theirs, probably separately since the size of the mansion could fit more than just a couple and their daughter.

So Tatsumi was surprised to find the hallways and room mostly empty, which is why he was satisfied finding the man of the house hiding in what might have been his study. Tatsumi shot him through the desk, the fat rich noble coughing up blood as he was hit in fatal but not immediately so spots. Walking slowly over to him Tatsumi placed the barrel of the rifle into the man's mouth "I hope you made piece with whatever a creature like you prays to" Tatsumi said, his eyes ripened by hatred "because you're in for one painful eternity" he explained pulling the trigger ending that man's life.

Turning around Tatsumi now only had one person left, "Aria" Tatsumi spoke the words as if they were a curse, her demise was to be far from painless. Stalking about the house like a predator Tatsumi for all purposes sniffed her out as he prowled about the mansion checking every room for her.

Aria for her part was a snivelling wreck, weeping and crying to be spared, seeing how pathetic she was Tatsumi put a hand on her shoulder almost comfortingly and did his best smile "miss Aria?" He asked Tatsumi's eyes were only slightly open hiding the menace that was held within them.

"Yes" Aria stammered hoping that Tatsumi had come to save her. "Do you know there is someone scary outside?" She was trying to play the innocent route. Well she had been able to fool just about everyone who was in the workshop however Tatsumi was wise to such simple but effective ploys.

"Is there?" Tatsumi replied comfortingly "is there really? I don't think they are out there any more whoever they are" he stated making Aria breathe out a sign of a relief. After that all the friendliness in in Tatsumi's face vanished as he opened his eyes fully "they are right in front of you" he said Quick blow to the knee shattered the kneecap meaning that Aria would not be able to get far, Tatsumi had a single hand clamping her mouth shut "I'm going to feed you your own eyes, after that let's see if you can still scream" he stated reaching down to his belt and pulling a knife out from there.

* * *

Despite every desire for it to be otherwise Tatsumi had made Aria's death short, excruciatingly painful but still far shorter than he desired her demise to be. He needed to get back to Ieyasu and see if he could get him medical attention, that was now Tatsumi's first and foremost priority, even though Sayo was lost to him, Ieyasu might not be. Ignoring the fact that his hands and feet were stained red with Aria's blood, some of it had splattered all over his face Tatsumi raced back out of the mansion to the store house where Ieyasu was caged. "Ieyasu" Tatsumi called out to his friend.

"Tatsumi" Ieyasu replied weakly, he was kneeling on the floor of the cage. Unknown to Tatsumi, he had only held out this long due to sheer will power, knowing that his friend had avenged Sayo and himself was enough for him. "Thank you" he murmured his vision clouding and growing dark.

It took a not much effort to cut through the bars for Tatsumi, he reasoned that if Ieyasu or Sayo had their sword or bow with them they could have escaped Though he would have to factor in their drugged state which given their hosts it probably would have been impossible for them to escape. "Hold on" Tatsumi said as he picked up Ieyasu's for "I'll find a doctor, willing to treat you" his tone left not inclinations that he would kill said doctor if they refused or did a poor job. "So don't worry I'll get you out of here-" Tatsumi's words died in his mouth as his vision played out before him.

Giving a heartfelt toothy grin as he coughed Ieyasu looked up at his Tatsumi "you shouldn't worry so much" he told his friend. "Sayo refused to give in even at the end, it was cool" Ieyasu said tears streaming down his eyes, tears that were mirrored by Tatsumi's own."you were pretty cool too."

"What's the point of being cool if you can't even save your friends?" Tatsumi asked as Ieyasu expired in his arms, the boys usual tired tone filled with self loathing and bitterness. As his friend expired there was something strange that happened, it was as if with his soul parting from it's body Ieyasu's form became much lighter. Tatsumi could only cry dried up tears as his friend turned into a 'just another body' in his very arms. "You should have never have come here" he addressed his two departed and only friends "I should have never dare to hope that I could have changed fate."

Looking up as he unceremoniously dropped Ieyasu's body Tatsumi found that one of the guard's torches had not burned out while it was on the ground. Tatsumi looked back to the building he was in and came quickly to his decision. Taking the torch he then proceed to set set the inside of the warehouse alight. He could not burn down a brick warehouse with just a torch so Tatsumi settled for destroying the insides of it and setting their manor on fire. "After this I'll go back to our village, I'll tell them that Sayo and Ieyasu were died bravely fighting against bandits" he said to himself.

" _Or you could stay_ " he heard " _the capitol just took everything you held dear from you, why not take everything it holds dear from it?_ " Tatsumi wanted to snark back at the voice that a city cannot hold anything dear to it, but deep inside he knew he wanted to hurt the people of the capital, since it was them and their twisted nature that robbed him of Sayo and Ieyasu. " _There's a trick to these sort of things, especially cities, either your make them darker or you make them burn._ " That did sound tempting but even vulnerable as he was Tatsumi knew he could never take on the empire alone.

Choosing for the moment not to listen to the sinister advice he was being given Tatsumi shouldered his bag, choosing to keep the gun after he had pilfered whatever ammunition for it he could find and get the hell out of this area before anyone decided to associate him with the burning manor.

* * *

"What?" A woman with short white hair and a single eyes asked as she read the report from one of the revolutionary armies messengers "You are telling me that someone already attacked and killed our next target along with burning down they mansion and setting fire to their torture chamber?"

The messenger nodded "it is not burned down just yet, it currently should still be burning at this point, the fire was started less than an hour ago" the member of revolutionary army stated. "Our agents were barely able to spot a young man leaving the scene, though he may not be the perpetrator."

"So this youth you suspect might not even be connected to this?" She asked fixing her sole eye on the messenger, she did not really care that someone had done in their targets however she was not one who let wild elements into play. This killer could be either enemy or ally at this point in time.

"It was too dark to get a better look at him, general" the messenger replies before correcting himself "ma'am, forgive me for the slip up" she nodded meaning for him to continue "so we only have guess work to go on, that said we do know the direction that the youth was travelling in" he added.

She was then handed a map of that area with a circled "interesting" she mused "go call Leone" she instructed "her teigu would be best suited, since if this were our killer he would have the scent of blood and ash all over him" nodding the messenger left. "I hope this isn't another problem for us." she murmured running a hand through her head.

* * *

 **Like I said at the start I am not certain if I will ever update this, that said this Tatsumi is a lot easier to write than Mal ever will be. Still if you have any feedback ideas or want to pick this story up let me know in the review section.**

 **Also before anyone asks, Tatsumi here is only a bit stronger than he is in canon at the start, which is to say he is fucking ridiculous since his first scene in the manga is him wrecking an earth dragon in under a minute. That certainly brought back memories when I think about it. I started Reading Akame Ga Kill back when I still was in highschool, still I am not able to get into it's sequel no matter how hard I try.**

 **Any way I hope you enjoyed this have a good one.**


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